The Trouble with Edward (episode)
Newly-minted Captain Lynne Lucero is excited to take command of the USS Cabot. That is, until she meets Edward Larkin, an ornery scientist who believes he has found a revolutionary new use for tribbles. Summary Main story Aboard the , Christopher Pike laments losing a good officer to promotion, wishing Lynne Lucero luck in her new command aboard the , offering aid to Pragine 63 – a planet on the edge of Klingon space facing a starvation crisis. Aboard the Cabot, Lucero holds a briefing with the sciences division department heads, asking for status updates on projects, resources and collaboration. At Lieutenant Edward Larkin's turn to report, he has trouble accessing his PADD, before reporting on his work with Tribleustes ventricosus, or "tribbles." In response to the Calation's food crisis, Larkin was looking at ways to optimize the tribbles for use as a food source. Lucero suggests he put his efforts on hold and join the work of the climatology team instead. Getting off on the wrong foot with the captain, Larkin vents to Noel in the mess hall, who suggests the rest of the crew seems to like her. At his station, Larkin sees Lucero and another member of the science team, Sarah, getting along, before he is called to the captain's office. Captain Lucero speaks with Larkin that her superiors at Starfleet Command had received "anonymous" complaints about her work, which leads to an exchange where she plans to have him transferred off the ship. Larkin steps out of his quarters in his pajama top and underpants to find the crew is rushing to address a lab breach, which is immediately traced to his work with tribbles and his violation of a direct order from Captain Lucero. Before long, the ship is overrun with the exponentially multiplying tribble population, even threatening their oxygen supply. Eventually, Lucero orders the crew to abandon ship, and all but Larkin escape in an escape craft. Before a board of inquiry at Starfleet Headquarters, Admiral inquires how her command went so badly in just two weeks traced solely on the actions of Edward Larkin. In brief, she responds "He was an idiot." Post-credits scene A "Tracking" message as from a 1980s style VCR is shown. This is followed by a scene shot in the style of a breakfast cereal commercial of the same period. In the mess hall of the , a female officer collects a box of Tribbles cereal to feed a pair of twin girls in Starfleet uniforms while a voice-over narration describes the cereal's benefits. As she pours, the woman discovers the box contains an unending supply of tribbles that pile up in the girls' bowls. A picture of Edward Larkin appears inset on the screen as the narration relates the substantial amount of "Edward" the cereal contains. The girls begin to happily eat, while a quick cut shows tribbles beginning to infiltrate the mess hall computer system. The narration describes three cereal flavors, "Original, Hairy Berry, and new Spicy Ranch." The commercial closes with an animated tribble mascot (with a skateboard) announcing "We're pregnant... with flavor!" as two more tribbles pop out of its body. Log entries *''Captain's log, stardate 1421.9. It's not often that losing a crewmember is cause for celebration. But our young science officer Lynne Lucero has been promoted. She's taken command of the research vessel Cabot above Pragine 63. They're lucky to have her.'' Background information Title * The title of this episode was first revealed in a trailer released on at San Diego Comic-Con. * The title plays on , the episode originally introducing the tribbles, utilizing a reversal to suggest that not the tribbles, but the Human who unleashed them is responsible for the problems they cause. The two other episodes in which tribbles had non-cameo roles, namely and , also riff on the original title. Production * The released date was announced on at New York Comic-Con. * Alex Kurtzman confirmed on that this episode features Christopher Pike. * This is the first Star Trek production to feature a scene after the closing credits. Continuity * While in the episode Edward claims that tribbles breed very slowly, perhaps even suggesting that tribbles received their fast breeding abilities in this incident, tribbles were already said to be prodigious breeders in the episode . Cast Starring * Anson Mount as Christopher Pike * H. Jon Benjamin as Edward Larkin * Rosa Salazar as Captain Lynne Lucero Co-starring * Lisa Michelle Cornelius as Sarah * Matthew Gouveia as Noel * Krista Jang as Rob * John Jarvis as Admiral * Loretta Shenosky as Cabot computer Uncredited co-stars * Unknown performers as ** People in the Tribbles commercial ** Tribbles commercial announcer References apple tree; barf; biologist; brain damage; breeding; ''Cabot'' type escape pod; Calations; chef; circuitry; climatology; diplomatic crisis; DNA; environmental control; experiment; exponential rate; fire hazard; foodie; genetic manipulation; Iota Geminorum IV; Johnny Appleseed; Klingons; lab breach; oceanography; orchard; oxygen; pH; phaser rifle; Pragine 63; pregnant; protein; protein specialist; salad; scallop; science vessel; scientist; seeds; structural failure; Tactical; transport; transporter; Tribleustes ventricosus (tribble); violin; wheelhouse Commercial references Andoria; berry; breakfast; Cestus; cooking pot; digestive tract; dinner; Earth; Edward macronutrient; Edward Cereals LLC; Federation Food and Drug Administration; hair; Izar; lunch; ; replicator safety protocols; Rigel VI; Rigel X; skateboard; snack; spicy ranch; Starfleet ration; Super Salon Playset; Tellar; trademark; tribble razor; Tribbles (cereal); vacuum cleaner; Vulcan (planet) External link * |next= }} Category:ST episodes